LeSean McCoy 2014 Season Outlook

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Stud production last season, and going in to his second season in the offense bodes well, as does having back his O-line. Before free agency he was my number 1 RB.

With that said my only concern is with the acquisition of Darren Sproles. Does it end up taking away some of that receiving game McCoy had last season? I can't imagine the eagles traded and then extended Sproles contract for him to just be a backup and only to give McCoy a breather. I know Shady is still the guy there, but I'm just wondering if some of his upside gets capped because of that.

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Stud production last season, and going in to his second season in the offense bodes well, as does having back his O-line. Before free agency he was my number 1 RB.

With that said my only concern is with the acquisition of Darren Sproles. Does it end up taking away some of that receiving game McCoy had last season? I can't imagine the eagles traded and then extended Sproles contract for him to just be a backup and only to give McCoy a breather. I know Shady is still the guy there, but I'm just wondering if some of his upside gets capped because of that.

Thoughts?

My thoughts are that you don't want your franchise back touching the ball 366 times a year.

I did drop him to #3 on my list, but I think he'll be fine, and potentially more productive on a per touch basis, with fewer touches overall.

Keep in mind that Bryce Brown last year touched the ball 88 times and in past years Sproles has only really needed around 150 total touches to be rather productive in the NO offense.

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Health permitting he's still a top 4 back. I think him Charles AP forte all can be argued as top picks but I rank shady as number 2 and agree he will likely have less yards/touches but more TDs. I can see the offense and defense taking a step forward becoming more deadly. Adding Maclin sproles and more defenders should mean more points scored and more red zone work. I picture sproles helping in keeping McCoy fresher and lining up all over the place like in Nola, creating mismatches all over the place and bigger rushing lanes with more receiving weapons on the field

I think this puts him behind Charles and A.P. This team has plenty of other options and having him touch the ball 360 times a year doesn't bode well for him. I think Sproles will take production away, and it also doesn't help no one will know who the true "backup" will be as Sproles may touch the ball more, but I think Brown and Polk take the "actual" RB nods over Sproles. I am higher on Charles and AP as their ceilings are much higher now then McCoy, but he's a sure fire top 3 back. You can't go wrong with him I'm just saying unless you have the number one pick I'd go Charles, but number two I'd probably go McCoy.

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Now that Shady is hovering around the top overall pick on many fantasy draft boards, I'm surprised more folks aren't questioning whether he's being a bit overvalued. In my opinion, he should be the 4th RB off the board, after AP, Charles, and Lacy. Here's why:

1 - AP, Charles, and Lacy are undisputed #1 backs. So is Shady, of course, but there is an unknown in the form of Sproles. Not saying Sproles will suddenly make this a timeshare (no way that happens), but with Philly's fast-paced offense, there will certainly be series in which Sproles will be in there and they just won't have time to sub him out. Again, not saying that Sproles is a true danger to Shady's workload, but there is slightly more risk here when compared to AP/Charles/Lacy. Sure, if the Packers run more no-huddle this year, there will be series where Starks is in there and they won't be able to sub him out, but that risk is offset by the fact that Lacy is playing on a team with a much-feared QB and a serious deep-threat in the form of Jordy Nelson. Now see #2.

2 - The loss of DeSean Jackson is absolutely going to have an impact. It remains to be seen if Maclin and Cooper can scare defenses into hanging back as much as DeSean did. You do remember last year when Shady could be seen running free in the middle of the field simply because the safeties didn't dare move in fast enough to stop the run.

3 - Foles was dynamite last year, but he's still a kid and there is some risk that he will regress a bit, especially without his #1 receiver from last year. Team defenses have also had a year to prepare for Philly's new offense. If Foles struggles at all, Shady's production is going to be impacted. In contrast, we know that Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers are going to be consistent enough to guarantee their RBs some space. And AP has always been QB-independent.

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Take him #1! No questions asked... Prime of his career and has a major chip on his shoulder (no pun intended).... I saw him in camp last year and said "This guys looks like he is in week 5 form"...He looks even better now...

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So the big question is does Sprole's presence take away from Shady or add?

I say takes away BUT I say he has more big runs due to the D not being as keyed on him

Technically with the departure of Bryce Brown, and with Chris Pole likely not taking snaps away from Sproles/McCoy there was a void of 98 touches already for Sproles to take over. Then account for the 32% of Phillly's passing yards having gone to Washington, and I think Sproles can get plenty of touches without having any negative effect on McCoy. Kelly's offense should get more plays run this year as well. Also, McCoy doesn't really need to be touching the ball 366 times again, does he? Consider the fear of having them both on the field, and the space they'll both create for each other and you can see McCoy's efficiency-per-touch go up as well. #1 RB on my board. Also, age 27 is the statistical prime for RBs.

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I fell off the McCoy hype at 1 overall for a while but I actually like the news coming out of eagles training camp so I think I have to bump him back up to 1 and Charles to 3. I would be excited to own either or AP though...I pick 4th in the league I commish and im really hoping someone decides to be a unique snowflake and draft graham manning or Johnson ahead of me.

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I fell off the McCoy hype at 1 overall for a while but I actually like the news coming out of eagles training camp so I think I have to bump him back up to 1 and Charles to 3. I would be excited to own either or AP though...I pick 4th in the league I commish and im really hoping someone decides to be a unique snowflake and draft graham manning or Johnson ahead of me.

Or Forte. I personally like him as a top 3 pick over AP, but it's relatively subjective at the top.